Main menu

My winning three for the RGCD 16k competition.

The entries for this years RGCD 16k cartridge competition have been out for a few weeks now and all have been getting some serious game time here. There are so many quality releases this year and it still amazes me (trying to do the math here) that after 28 years (whoa) since first unwrapping my Commodore 64 on Christmas Day morn, I’d still be using the very same machine today and that I’d be playing brand new games on it too.

The official results of the competition are yet to be announced, but here’s the three titles that I’ve picking as my own personal favourites.

3rd Place – BellringerIII

Starting in alphabetical order, BelringerIII was the very first game I played from this years games selection, and right from the off with its toe-tapping catchy menu tune, I knew that this was going to be fun. It reminds me very much of early C64 games like Cavelon and Hunchback and a whole host of platformers I used to spend hours with on my Commodore Plus/4. Fun times!

As well as being a great little retro style hide n run platformer, the charging guards and bell ringing puzzle at end of each level makes this game ever more enjoyable.

2nd Place – Monsterbuster

I didn’t really get into the whole Puzzle Bobble/Bust-A-Move type games until acquiring my third PSX console (or was it the fourth?…why is it that you seem to end up with so many of these little grey boxes 🙂 )and used to play this into the wee hours with my mother-in-law of all people…who, despite never having picked up a console controller before, surprised us all and whipped the living snot out of the game. Although lacking in things like power ups and specials in this 16k version (a fat 64k version has been mentioned), its still a charming and highly addictive game. Thumbs up to p1x3l.net for bringing back the monsters again.

…and finally the game that I keep coming back to more and more –

1st Place – Kobo64

I absolutely love this game. Plenty of frantic bullet hell moments coupled with the sanctuary of deep space where you can regroup, rethink and begin your attack again. Hit and run, take the machine down bit by bit before laying a path to the sweet spot in the middle…take that yer pesky space plumbing beasties. Awesome!

There you go, that’s my top three for this year. Special mention should also go out to the rather excellent Devil Ronin which just got better and better every time I played it, the technically impressive Micro Hexagon which looks even better after a few beers…but maybe not after a kebab, Rocket Smash, because it’s about time the C64 had a descent Jet Pac game (and what a game!) and finally Vallation and Powerglove which I’m really looking forward to spending even more time exploring.

My thanks to RGCD and the incredibly talented folk out there for making this one hellava great time to be a Commodore user.